Mr. Speaker, as the hon. Minister of Human Resources Development and the hon. Minister of Health have indicated on many occasions, the Government of Canada is extremely concerned about the challenges facing low income families with children.
Poverty exacts an unacceptable toll on children. It often means that their physical needs for food, shelter and clothing are not met. It can result in their cognitive development being delayed compared with children in families with adequate incomes and it has long term costs for our country.
Poor children have poor health outcomes. They reach lower educational levels. They live in riskier environments and engage in riskier behaviours.
The hon. member for The Battlefords-Meadow Lake is calling for immediate action for children, but this action is already under way. The Prime Minister, along with other first ministers, has agreed that child poverty is a priority. The government is working with the provinces, including Saskatchewan, to identify ways to prevent and reduce child poverty.
To this end, a federal-provincial ministerial council on social policy renewal, co-chaired by the Minister of Human Resources Development, recently met and agreed to closely examine options for a national child benefit. A federal-provincial working group is meeting on an ongoing basis.
In addition, many provinces have demonstrated a commitment to fulfilling their responsibilities for children. British Columbia has just restructured its children's benefits and Quebec has announced its intention to refine its system. New Brunswick raised the issue in its recently delivered speech from the throne and Saskatchewan has announced its intention to introduce a provincial child benefit.
The Government of Canada is already providing important help to low income families and it is working toward finding solutions to the complex problems poverty presents. For example, the government now spends over $5 billion on child tax benefits that are paid to over three million Canadian families and has also doubled the working income supplement provided to low income families.
In addition, the government announced in its 1996 budget a child support strategy that will protect the interests of children and ensure parents live up to their responsibilities for child support in a manner that is fair and consistent.